It is March, a month where we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day around the world. Here in Miami, Florida, and elsewhere throughout the United States, we join our clients in donning green apparel (to render us invisible to leprechauns who like to pinch people), drinking green beer, and enjoying savory dishes like Corned Beef and Cabbage.

If you and your family want to enjoy a traditional Irish meal this St. Paddy’s Day, please reach out! As part of our personal chef services, we specialize in creating menus for individuals with food allergies and sensitivities and those on medically restrictive diets. We never want you to miss out and are confident we can help you still participate in all the holiday food celebrations without compromising your dietary needs.

Back to the Irish – I bet you didn’t know that Corned Beef and Cabbage is not actually a dish brought over from Ireland?

It’s true. The truth is, when the first generation of Irish-Americans immigrated to the United States, they longed for a taste of the homeland. On St. Paddy’s Day, that meant eating boiled bacon. Unfortunately, the immigrants were too impoverished to pay the hefty price of pork, so instead, they selected the least expensive cut of meat available – beef brisket.

If you remember your history, New York City was the primary entry point in the United States for immigrants worldwide. And that is how the Irish came to adopt an Eastern European cooking method of salt-curing meat instead of boiling it as they would back home. Additionally, they didn’t even include corn in the cooking of this dish. The “corn” was the salt crystals (the size and shape of corn) that the Irish immigrants used as part of the meat’s brining process.

Paired with cabbage – another cheap alternative available to them at the market – and this delightful, traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dish was born.

Now that you know a little more of this dish’s history, consider making it for your St. Patrick’s Day festivities using the recipe below. Or? You can download the recipe by clicking the button below.

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. flat cut corned beef brisket
• 1 (12 ounces) bottle Guinness draught (or replace with the corresponding measurement of Beef Stock)
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 -1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 head cabbage, cut into wedges, rinsed and drained
• 6 medium white potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 -2 lbs. carrot, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces

Directions:

Rinse corned beef under cold water, and pat dry. In a Dutch oven, or other large pot with a cover, brown corned beef well on all sides over high heat. Pour Guinness over the meat, and add enough water to just cover the brisket.

Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and pepper to the pot. Bring pot to a boil and skim off any foam. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pot and simmer for 3 hours.

Add carrots, then potatoes and then the cabbage wedges to the pot. Cover pot, and continue cooking until meat and vegetables are tender (about 20-30 minutes).

Remove meat and vegetables into a warm serving platter/dish, leaving the cooking liquid/sauce in the pot. Over high heat, bring the cooking liquid to a boil, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half (about 10 minutes).

Slice the corned beef; serve with the vegetables and the sauce on the side.

If you’re looking for a delicious comfort food fix, this Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe is the perfect dish. Warm, hearty and oh so yummy, it’s sure to please everyone at the table. Download the recipe by clicking the button below, or allow us to be your personal chef this St. Patrick’s Day!

If you have any questions at all, email chefliz@thepickledbeet.com or give us a call at 305-388-3536.